Body support arrangement and bed incorporating same

Abstract: A body support arrangement comprising a sleeping surface lying on at least one water filled tube (14, 15) extending along the longitudinal sides of the frame. The sleeping surface (10) is arranged to provide a free space (20) therein at a selected distance from the longitudinal ends of the arrangement such that when a person is lying on the sleeping surface, said free space allows the shoulder girdle of the user's body to sink down.

Description: A known conventional bed comprises a body support surface made of flexible slats that extend transversely of the longitudinal direction of the bed and that rest on fixed supports at their both ends. The insufficient flexibility of the materials currently used in making the slats (e.g. wood or polyester) results in the conventional slat support arrangements being unable to perfectly conform to the contour of a lying body. Increased pressure places are thus created under the pelvis and the shoulder regions. Furthermore, the shoulders are unable to sink down sufficiently in relation to the mean width of the shoulder girdle. As a result all parts of the body can not be supported evenly and adequately. There is also known a water mattress providing a body support surface that is able to gently suit the contour of a user's body and that provides a soft support. The closest prior art is illustrated by WO-A-9401024 and WO-A-0378469. Both documents disclose a sleeping surface resting on water filled support cylinders. It is noted that these cylinders define a closed volume. Accordingly, these water filled cylinders react just like a water mattress and because of their specific design, so will the above mentioned body support systems. The typical characteristic of a water mattress is, that it has equal pressure or resistance over its entire surface. However, anatomically the body weighs much more at the pelvic region than at the shouldergirdle or the feet, so the body does not have equal pressure over its entire surface. So, when a person is lying down on the slats of the above mentioned body support systems (WO-A-94010?4 and WO-A-0378469) or on a water mattress, the water underneath the pelvic region is moved downwards and away towards areas of lower resistance, i.e. the areas where the feet and shouldergirdle are lying. Since these body regions weigh much less than the pelvic region, the feet and the shouldergirdle are pushed upwards. When a person is lying on the side, the shouldergirdle, which anatomically is much wider than the pelvis, should be able to sink deeper into the surface of the bed than the pelvic girdle, in order to get the spine in a straight horizontal line, which is its normal neutral posture. The object of the present invention is to provide a resilient body support arrangement which ensures that when a body is lying on the side the spine extends perfectly aligned and when the body is lying on the back, all parts thereof are evenly supported whereby the body is assuming a natural posture. To achieve said object, the present invention provides a body support arrangement as defined in the appended claims. Providing a body support arrangement that is resting on water filled tubes ensures that the body support surface gently conform to any waving of the user's body lying on it, whereby the pressure is evenly distributed over the entire length of the body. Providing a free space in the sleeping surface, in the area where the shouldergirdle is to rest, as set forth in the claims, not only prevents the shouldergirdle from being pushed upwards by the displaced water, but also allows the shouldergirdle to sink adequately into the surface of the bed, thereby to allow the spine of the body to extend perfectly aligned in a natural posture. When a person is lying on the back, the surface of the shoulder region is much larger than in side-lying position. So, the shouldergirdle will sink even less into the surface of the bed than in side-lying position, because of the lower pressure per cm 2 . Because of this reason, on a water mattress and alike the upwards displacement of the shouldergirdle will even be more than in side-lying position. The free space provided as claimed, allows the shouldergirdle to sink sufficiently into the surface of the bed and prevents the body to sag in the middle of the bed, as it would on a water mattress and alike ("hammock"-effect). This allows a proper horizontal position of the spine. Because the very flexible surface of the bodysupport system perfectly follows the contours of the body, it gives a proper support of the curvatures of the spine. This allows the body to assume its natural posture. The invention will be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings : Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a bed incorporating a body support arrangement according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a top view of the body support arrangement shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view of the bed of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 illustrates the posture of a person lying on a body support arrangement in accordance with the invention; Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate the posture of a person lying on the side on a conventional slat support surface and a water mattress, respectively; Fig. 7 illustrates the posture of a person lying on the back on a body support arrangement according to the invention; Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate the posture of a person lying on the back on a conventional slat support surface and a water mattress, respectively; Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, there are shown a frame 11 with two cup shaped supports 12 and 13 provided along both sides thereof. In each of said supports there is accomodated a water filled tube 14, resp. 15. In an exemplary embodiment, each cup shaped support consists of a plate 16 extending lengthwise under a side of the frame and a channel block 17 made of plastic foam attached to it. A resilient layer 18 lies on each water filled tube, e.g. a ribbed polyether foam layer of about 6.5 cm thick. The parallel ribs 19 of the two layers 18 are arranged in alignment. A series of transversely extending slats 21 form a flexible sleeping surface 10. The end portions of each slat rest on aligned ribs 19. The slats 21 may be fixed to the resilient layers or the water filled tubes by suitable attachment ribbons. Owing to their being lying on the water filled tubes, the flexible slats are able to gently conform to any waving of a lying body and at the same time an evenly distributed pressure is achieved all along the length of the body. As a result, the lying body assumes an ideal and natural posture. At a chosen distance from one longitudinal end of the frame 11, in the region where the shoulder of a body is expected to lie, the sleeping surface 10 is interrupted whereby a free space 20 is provided, e.g. a free space commensurate to the space needed for placement of three slats. In an exemplary embodiment (Fig. 3), no slats are provided in the space 20 and the polyether foam layer 18 is interrupted there. However, slats may be provided in the space 20 by laying them on a thinner foam layer. Advantageously, one or more ribs are removably arranged on one end or on both ends of said free space, e.g. ribs 19a and 19b shown in Fig. 3. This feature allows the lengthwise extent of the free space to be adjusted so as to suit to the place where the shoulder of a lying body is expected to come. By virtue of the invention the shoulder region which weighs less and is wider than the pelvis region, is allowed to sink down deeper than the pelvis region. Thereby the spine of a body lying on the side is able to extend perfectly aligned as illustrated in Fig. 4. The posture shown in Fig. 4 is to be compared with the postures illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 which show the postures assumed by a body lying on a conventional slat bed and a water mattress respectively. When a body is lying on the back, the shoulder girdle is also allowed to sink down deep enough such that the body back is evenly supported over its entire length as illustrated in Fig. 7. By comparison, Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate the postures of a body lying on the back on a conventional slat bed and a water mattress respectively. A second exemplary embodiment of the body support arrangement according to the invention comprises a foam layer lying on a flexible water filled container. The latter is accomodated in a cup shaped support. A free space is provided in the region where the shoulder of a lying body is expected to come. For instance, the foam layer can be interrupted by removing one or several removable members provided there such that the free space can be adjusted to exactly accomodate the shoulder of the person who is expected to lie thereon.

Claims: Body support arrangement comprising a frame having a longitudinal direction and a sleeping surface (10) and support means for supporting the sleeping surface, wherein the support means for the sleeping surface (10) consist of at least one water filled tube (14, 15) provided on the frame or on the longitudinal sides thereof, characterized in that the sleeping surface (10) is provided with a free space (20) arranged therein at a selected distance from the longitudinal ends of the frame such that when a person is lying on the sleeping surface, said free space allows the shoulder girdle of the user's body to sink down. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the sleeping surface (10) comprises slats (21), characterized in that at least one slat is removable whereby the location and/or width of said free space (20) can be adjusted. Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each water filled tube (14, 15) is accomodated in a cup shaped support (13). Arrangement according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that a layer (18) of flexible material is interposed between each water filled tube (14, 15) and the ends of the flexible slats resting thereon. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the sleeping surface (10) consists of a flexible foam layer (18) including at least one removable member (19) whereby the location and/or width of said free space (20) can be adjusted. Bed comprising a body support arrangement according to either of the preceding claims.

Inventors: BOEVE MICHEL, BOEVE, MICHEL
Applicants: BOEVE MICHEL, BOEVE, MICHEL
Application year: 1994
Main classification: A47C23
IPC codes: A47C23, A47C31